7/15/15 -Chimney Rock NHS

I talked George into detouring to Chimney Rock National Historic Site on our way to Scottsbluff, Nebraska. We saw the famous landmark about 10 minutes south of the turnoff. It gives you an idea of how visible it would have been to the pioneers. They'd been traveling two months since they left Independence, Missouri, and this was the most famous landmark on the Oregon, California and Mormon Trails.

The Visitor Center is about a mile-and-a-half south of the highway. George wasn't sure about dragging the trailer out there, but I said there were other RV's so it shouldn't be a problem. When we got closer, we saw the other RV's were at an RV park, and we still had another mile to go to the Visitor Center. Turned out okay because there was plenty of parking and a good place to turn around when we were done.

The Visitor Center is maintained by the Nebraska State Historical Society. We got a discount with our National Parks Pass and there were a bunch of passport stamps for George. I had on sandals. You can bet I stayed on the sidewalk!

Out back we had a great view of the rock, but didn't go any further than the patio.

We watched the video. We checked out the museum and learned the original name of the rock. And we learned how it was formed, and how much it's eroded in the last 150 years. Below is a picture of what a wagon train would have looked like as they came across the prairie. They weren't in nice neat little lines most of the time.

There's an interactive display so kids could load a covered wagon with supplies. There weren't any kids around so I did it myself. (It wasn't a real covered wagon, and they weren't real supplies. Just so you know...)

 

On the way out, we took more pictures of Chimney Rock. Then we got back in the truck and headed on to Scottsbluff, another landmark on the Oregon Trail.

We weren't there very long, but I think there are a couple pictures here you haven't seen:  Chimney Rock Natl Historic Site